A U.S. military strike in international waters has left 11 Venezuelan narco-terrorists dead, and officials say more traffickers will soon face the same deadly outcome if they continue targeting America with drugs.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made the declaration on Fox & Friends Wednesday morning, warning that this is just the beginning of an aggressive new push to stop organized crime groups in their tracks.
“We’ve got assets in the air, assets in the water, assets on ships, because this is a deadly serious mission for us, and it won’t stop with just this strike,” Hegseth stated.
🚨BREAKING: WHITE HOUSE PUTS VENEZUELA MASURO IN NOTICE
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth 🇺🇸
on Fox a d Friends says 11 ALLEGED NARCO NARCO TERRORISTS KILLED IN US STRIKE. Talks about China Military Parade Chicago Putin Kim Jong Un POTENTIAL TROOPS IN OTHER CITIES more STRIKES… pic.twitter.com/kE0PbUCUSO— SANTINO (@MichaelSCollura) September 3, 2025
He cautioned that anyone caught trafficking under the flag of a designated narco-terrorist group “will face the same fate.”
The operation, ordered directly by President Donald Trump, was announced Tuesday in a Truth Social post.
The president revealed that a “precision strike” had been launched against a vessel operated by the violent Tren de Aragua cartel, killing 11 of its members.
Trump said the group had been hauling narcotics across international waters toward the U.S.
“Earlier this morning, on my Orders, U.S. Military Forces conducted a kinetic strike against positively identified Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility,” Trump wrote.
Earlier this morning, on my Orders, U.S. Military Forces conducted a kinetic strike against positively identified Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility. TDA is a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, operating under the control of Nicolas… pic.twitter.com/2bEDDiZsRl
— Trump Truth Social Posts On X (@TrumpTruthOnX) September 2, 2025
“The strike occurred while the terrorists were at sea in International waters transporting illegal narcotics, heading to the United States.”
Hegseth followed up by explaining that the traffickers were knowingly attempting to smuggle drugs to poison American communities.
“We knew exactly who was in that boat, we knew exactly what they were doing and we knew exactly who they represented,” he said.
He noted that the groups are tied to flooding U.S. streets with dangerous substances. “It’s a new day, it’s a different day,” he added.
During a meeting with the Polish president on Wednesday, Trump was asked why he chose lethal action.
The president explained that intelligence left little doubt as to what was happening on the targeted vessel.
“On the boat you had massive amounts of drugs, we have tapes of them speaking, it was massive amounts of drugs coming into our country to kill a lot of people,” Trump said.
“You see the bags of drugs all over the boat. And they were hit, obviously, they won’t be doing it again and I think a lot of other people won’t be doing it again once they see that tape.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the strike, warning that groups like Tren de Aragua represent a direct danger to national security.
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“The President of the United States has determined that narco-terrorist organizations pose a threat to the national security of the United States — I don’t need to explain to you why,” Rubio said.
He pointed out that these criminal organizations are not small-time dealers.
“These are not stockbrokers. These are not real estate agents, who on the side deal a few drugs, these are organized, corporate-structured organizations who specialize in the trafficking of deadly drugs, into the United States of America. They pose an immediate threat to the United States.”
🔥HOLY SMOKES: Marco Rubio is holding NOTHING BACK about doubling and tripling down on eliminating narcoterrorist threats to the United States!
"These are not stockbrokers. These are not real estate agents… These are organized, corporate, structured organizations who specialize… pic.twitter.com/TpmMHdKPRq
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) September 3, 2025
Rubio said that if anyone is “on a boat full of cocaine or fentanyl” headed for America, they are by definition an “immediate threat” and subject to being neutralized under Trump’s authority as commander-in-chief.
“We’re not going to sit back anymore and watch these people sail up and down the Caribbean like a cruise ship. It’s not going to happen, it’s not going to happen anymore,” Rubio warned.
“They’re not going to bring drugs into the United States. We’re going to stop them.”
He also noted that Trump has launched a wider campaign against these networks, calling it nothing less than a war on narco-terrorists.
According to Rubio, the approach used in Tuesday’s strike is the same strategy that will guide future missions.
Meanwhile, the administration is also tightening immigration enforcement against Venezuelans.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced that Temporary Protected Status, which shielded about 250,000 Venezuelan nationals, was being terminated.
The policy had been granted in 2021 and was due to expire in September, but the Trump administration opted to revoke it early.
A DHS spokesperson explained the move, saying that Venezuela’s role in driving illegal migration and the lure created by TPS conflicted with border security efforts.
“Given Venezuela’s substantial role in driving irregular migration and the clear magnet effect created by Temporary Protected Status, maintaining or expanding TPS for Venezuelan nationals directly undermines the Trump Administration’s efforts to secure our southern border and manage migration effectively,” the statement read.
The department said officials weighed public safety, national security, migration factors, immigration policy, economic considerations, and foreign policy before reaching their decision.
“Allowing Venezuelan nationals to remain temporarily in the United States is not in America’s best interest,” the statement concluded.
The decision came only days after an appeals court backed a lower court ruling that had struck down Noem’s earlier attempt to cancel TPS for Venezuela.
